Paradise A TMNT story
by MsMarilynAdams
Summary: With the death of their adoptive mother, three young women move in with their estranged older sister in NYC. Mary warns Violet, Jaden, and Kat of the strange creatures the roam the night in the ccity but can she protect herself from said creatures? (Rate M for language and future adult situations in waaaaayyy later chapters. R/R please!) DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

The day we buried Mistress Lavinia was the worst day of our lives. The woman who had saved us from the man that was, by DNA, our father, had left us. Kat, the smallest and youngest of us, clung to my side, her small heart-shaped face crumpled in misery as she cried, soaking the side of my shirt. Jaden, the second oldest and the rule-breaker, stood like a stone beside me, her short black actually styled for once in a neat side-part, her amber eyes red-rimmed and puffy, her hand gripping mind. To my left stood Violet, her chestnut hair in a braid dowb the front of her black blouse. For once, her eyes were open and a look of mournful acceptance marred her slender face. Her hand was in my free one.  
And then there was me, my face blotchy and eyes puffy from crying, my rebellious red curls had been tamed and slicked back into a professional bun. I didn't understand. How could such a strong woman just pass away in her sleep? The doctors said it was old age. I guess it was. Mistress Lavinia was in her 50's when she'd blown up Father's lab, with him inside, as she spirited us away. My sisters and I are around the same age. myself having just turned 23, Jaden being 21, Violet 20 and Kat just barely 19.  
We stood at the edge of the grave as they filled it up. Now the Mistress was gone, I'd have to take care of my sisters. We had never been separated before until last August when Id gotten a job and my own place. Mistress Lavinia was against it, worried someone would see my "secret", the secret my sister shared with me. But she had let me go. I hadn't seen her for nearly a year, then I get a call saying she's dead. Heh. Pretty messed up, huh.  
As the funeral ended and people dispersed, I motioned my sisters back to my car. I was taking them back to New York City with me, to my house where we would all begin our lives again.

"This is your- our home?" the small blonde girl asked, pressing her nose to the window glass as she looked up at the brick building. Horns and sirens wailed around us as we parked and piled out of the car. Jaden groaned as she stretched her lean body, musing her spiky hair, her pixie-like face turning into a small smile.  
"It doesn't look all that bad, Mary," she offerred, helping Violet and myself with the bags. I snorted lightly.  
"Thanks, J. It only cost me half my life savings and my soul," I retorted, moving up the steps of the porch to unlock the door. There were people passing down the sidewalk, chattering about everything under the sun when we heard the laughter. No one else heard it but us, thanks to the experiments Father performed on us. We froze, looking at each other before letting our eyes fall to the sewer grate about five feet from the porch. The same grate Kat was standing on. With a squeal, the blonde jumped away from it, panic showing in her gray eyes. My jaw tightened and I quickly motioned them inside.  
Once we were inside the two-story apartment, I turned to them.  
"Look, I didn't want to tell you guys this so soon but it looks like they decided differently," I said with a sigh, rubbing my green eyes in atttempt to clear my mind abd figure out a way to say what I had too.  
"They?!" Jaden asked, her arms crossing over her fitted leather jacket as she stared at me.  
"Yeah, J, /they/. There's.../something/ in this city. Four to be exact. I don't know what they are completely but they only come out at night, live in the sewers and apparently have "problems" similar to ours," I admitted, my eyes meeting each of my sisters slowly.  
"You mean freaks? Mutants?" Jaden spat at me, stirring my ire. I growled as Kat's face fell, turning red in shame as she tugged at her hair.  
"We are NOT freaks, Jaden! How many times do I have to tell you to not say shit like that in front of Kat?!" I started, pushing off the door towards the brunette.  
Violet stepped in between us, always the voice of reason.  
"Stop it. Both of you. Mary, do you know anything else about these creatures?"  
I took a breath and leaned against the door again as the orange and red rays of the setting sun slid into the apartment.  
"No, I don't. But I don't want any of you going out at night without your weapons and company. There's a lot of weird shit in this town. Just remember to never be alone, alright?"  
They nodded, Jaden doing so reluctantly. With that, we settled into unpacking and letting them pick their rooms, Jaden and Violet sharing one so Kat could have her own.

Outside on the fire escape an orange-masked figure looked inside the windows in awe. The most beautiful creature he'd ever seen was standing on the otherside of the glass. Her white-blonde hair hung down her back in a messy braid, small flowers, like the ones on her yellow sun dress, inter-weaved in the strands. She was tiny and fragile looking, The creature didn't know what to do! He had never been in this situation! His brothers had but this feeling was new to him.  
"Mikey! What are ya doin'?! Come on!" A voiced hissed out of the darkness below him. The figured shook himself, took one last look at the fairy-girl on the otherside of the glass and jumped down to join his brothers. He would see her again. He had too.


	2. Chapter 2

The days slid into weeks as the girls settled in. Jaden and Violet had gotten jobs with a florist down the street and Kat was enrolling in college online while keeping the house up while the rest of us worked.  
One summer evening, while Kat was still home alone, Stevie Nick's "Secret Love" floated out of the open windows as the youngest sister made her way around the apartment, smiling for the first time since Mistress Lavinia had passed. Her sisters where together again! When Mary had left, the chosen Leader, in pursuit of a normal life that didn't involve fighting evil and hiding among the shadows, it just hadn't been the same. Jaden had immediately leapt for the leader position but was refused, Mistress Lavinia saying that even though Mary was not with them at that moment, they would be reunited. Who would've known it would have been the sudden death of their master? Their surrogate mother?  
Mary had been came back into their lives with all her strong-willed, fiery existence. The youngest sister had always looked up to the strong woman. Mary was tall, toned yet ver obviously woman. She was the only one that could take on Violet's mental attacks and Jaden's strength with her scimitars. Mary even dodged Kat's lighting quick attacks with her Hamas. Mary was beautiful, strong and perfect. In Kat's eyes anyway. Kat knew why her older sister always wore long sleeve and clothing that covered every inch of her body. Scales. bright red and orange scales sporadically covered the redhead's body beneath the clothing along with scars from Father. Kat thought of Jaden's scales, not as wide-spread as Mary's, but covering her chest in green and blue. Most people who caught glimpse of Jaden's physical mutation had just assumed they were tattoos.  
Kat found the scales of her older sisters somehow beautiful. she even found Violet's reptilian-like eyes beautiful. Of course, the second youngest girl had made full cover contacts for them, forever hiding their brilliance.  
Kat didn't have scales except for her small hands, which were slightly more lizard-like. The fingers were thinner with blue-white scales and sharp nails that were strong as iron nails. She hid them in gloves, lacy but covered gloves that reached her elbow.  
The youngest girl shook herself. out of her daydreaming long enough to look out the front window. A young couple was making their way down the street. Kat sighed as she watched them walk closely together, his strong arm around her shoulder as a smile graced his handsome face. She said something before giggling, making her even more beautiful as he leaned in for a kiss.  
The tiny blonde pouted. She wanted a romance. Wanted one like what she read about in her novels that she'd snuck from Mistress Lavinia's room. she wanted a strong, brave and charming hero that would love her no matter her mutation or strangeness.  
She was still crooning over the couple when she heard the footfall. Her body instantly went into fight mode, reaching for the small throwing knives beneath her hemp shirt, strapped to her side. Kat sent them flying with incredible speed, the figure on the balcony barely dodging them. She cursed quietly, tuck-and-rollling over to the other side of the room where her Hamas were. How could she have been so stupid as to have left the balcony doors open. She was getting over-confident. Taking an attack pose, she looked squarely at the figure, her jaw dropping as it, /he/, stepped into the light, his hands up in surrender.  
"Easy, dudette...heh, I come in peace." the creature, which resembled a turtle, gave her an uneasy smile. Kat froze, never letting her guard down as she studied him. He had the build of a human man but his skin was green . He had only three fingers per hand, and only two toes per foot. he had humanoid facial features but lacked any ears of hair.  
Was he Kappa? No, he couldn't be. He lacked the dip in the skull that held water. He sounded like the surfer boys she'd seen on TV. His smile stayed as he slowly reached down for his nunchuks. She tried her best to look fierce as she ready herself for attack but he did something that completely shocked her. He tossed his weapons over the heard the clatter as they hit the concrete below.  
"Are you stupid?" She blurted. " You never let go of your weapon!" she cried, repeating what the Mistress had drilled into their brains.  
"You're weapon is an extension of your arms, your body. Never drop them, never let them go."  
The giant turtle let out a nervous laugh, his light blue eyes looking at her, pleading.  
" I wanted ti show you that I mean no harm, I just...uh, I wanted to talk to you. I know this is totally creepy but I've come up here every night to watch you. You're just..." he stumbled, looking for words. With a huge sigh, he shrugged and said "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Even more beautiful than a mint condition, never opened Captain America comic."  
Kat's face turned as red as Mary's hair. That was the first time any guy had told her she was beautiful, mutant or not. Her heart did a little flip-flop as she watched the turtle. He sat down on the balcony, just outside the apartment.  
" I just wanted to talk to you," he said, the goofy smile back.  
After standing there for a while, Kat moved to the other side of the couch, slipping down onto the floor, still battle ready.  
"Alright, well, what's your name?" She asked, her tinkling voice finally breaking the silence. A huge grin broke out across his face.  
"It's Michelangelo. But call me Mikey, I mean, if you want. Yours?"  
She gave a small smile, making Michelangelo's heart pound.  
"Katerina. But you can call me Kat. if you want."  
Over the next two hours, the two talked non-stop, Mikey never moving from hiss spot as he listened. He found out the girls she lived with were her older sisters and that they had moved in with the oldest after the death of their mother. She found out that he had three other brothers who all lived with their father. As he described them, Kat laughed at his silly antics and impressions of his older brothers.  
Over the span of the next few weeks,the two met every night on the balcony to talk. He'd bring her things like pizza or some little delicate girly trinket he'd said he'd found. She treasured it all. She eventually took off her gloves and showed him her hands. He just smiled and said they were gorgeous.  
The sweet, innocent blushes and thudding heartbeats slowly turned into a fragile love, one that grew stronger as time went by.  
Kat tried her best to erase all trace of him being in the apartment, knowing that her sisters were extremely inept to all their senses. Unfortunately, Violet saw all.  
One night, after Kat had fallen asleep, Jaden and Violet made their way to my study. I could see them on the monitors I had installed last week. The monitors that had alerted the three of us that Kat had a friend. I heaved a sigh as they came in and slowly closed the door.  
"Has he shown any signs of hurting her? Anything?" Jaden asked quietly, plopping down on my desk and helping herself to my Rollo's. I growled as I snatched them away and moved over ti the small screens.  
"Nope. Not a single threat, bad look or anything. He throws his weapons over the balcony every night and does nothing but act silly and make her laugh. He'll bring her senseless presents and puff out his chest when she coos over them," I said as I faced them, popping a Rollo in my mouth. "They have, however, made a date for tomorrow night. That old park down the street? Yeah, their having a "midnight picnic"."  
Jaden and Violet exchanged looks.  
"I don't want to take this from her. Yeah, he's more mutated than us but from what we' ve seen, I think we can agree that he's more human than animal. This is the happiest she's been since the Mistress passed. And it's not like any human man would accept her, any of us. This Michelangelo accepts her." I said, looking out the window.  
"Then we will follow them. Just in case," Violet stated. Jaden and I nodded in unison. We discussed it a little longer before heading to bed. Tomorrow night, we'll follow our little sister on her date, just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

He gave up trying to fix the new night vision goggles he'd been working on. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his tired brown eyes before reluctantly looking down at the piece of paper on his desk. It was a 3-year-old wedding invitation to April and Casey's ceremony. 2 years since April had moved with Casey and their daughter out to California. The reporter had been Donatello's teenage crush and it had hit him hard when she'd chosen Casey over him. At first, Don wouldn't even come out of his room, completely ignoring his family. When his 19th birthday rolled around, he'd finally emerged. He was bigger, muscle-wise and there was an aged look in his eyes. He was serious now, losing the sporadic outburst that had been apart of his personality his whole life. Leonardo was the only one that knew he'd been training non-stop, looking for a mutagen strain that would turn him human so he could win back April.  
But it never happened. and when the wedding invitation came right after Donnie had turned 21, it didn't even seem to affect him. He went to the wedding of course, cheered for the bride and groom and then returned home, throwing himself into his work.  
As of late though, he'd come out more with his brothers, scouted the city and seemed to be back to normal. But the turtles began to notice something. one of them was sneaking out late at night, every night, and not returning for hours. And it wasn't any of the oldest.  
Donnie had been the first to notice Mikey's absences. He had waited a week or so before alerting Leo and Raph.  
"But where would he be going? We don't know anyone on the topside anymore," Leo had mused quietly, his blue eyes thoughtful. Raph tipped his head, absent mindedly twirling his Sai. "Unless he knows someone we don't," the family hot head suggested, his green eyes slowly moving to Donnie's. The purple-masked turtle groaned and covered his face.  
"It's a girl," he stated without a shred of doubt in his voice. Leo grimaced, memories of his horrible short flame with Karai flashing into his mind.  
"Watch him," he had ordered quietly. And they had over the months. the girl was a tiny blonde thing that seemed to be as head over heels for Mikey as he was for her. She was sweet and innocent, so different from April and Karai. The guys didn't see a problem with her but they kept watch nevervthe less.  
As Donnie looked at the aged invitation, he couldn't help but worry about his younger brother. All the human women they'd been attracted to so far had done nothing but destroy their hearts. And Mikey wasn't as strong as Raph, Leo or Donnie. it would break him.  
So now, as he got up in the darkness and grabbed his Bo staff, he was a little comforted by the fact him and his brothers were following Mikey tonight on his "date". They wanted to make sure that everything was safe for him and it wasn't an ambush.  
He looked out into the dark den, staying quiet and to the shadows as he waited. A few minutes later, Mikey slipped from his room. Donatello had to give it to him, he was blending in so well that the purple-masked turtle almost missed him. Waiting a few moments, he slid from the shadows, his other two brothers following suit.  
"That little shit almost gave us the slip," Raph snorted, a note of pride in his voice as they began to quietly tail their youngest brother.

Mikey was nervous. Extremely so. He had a new orange mask over his face and he'd even snuck into Leo's room to use his shower and cologne. Mikey normally could care less about that stuff but this was his first real date, and with Kat, no less! Over the months, she'd been on his mind more and more. Her sweet voice, her laugh, the worried look in her eyes when he would tell her stories of the Shredder, the way she made him feel like he was the only guy on the planet. Like he wasn't a freak.

"You gonna break out your suit?" Jaden asked, watching me carefully as I tossed my manriki back and forth. I looked at my sisters, both having donned their stealth outfits. Jaden consisted of a black catsuit with a full mask, only her blue eyes showing. The suit had a sleek guard across her abdomen, shoulders and knees. Her scimitars hung at her hips, the curved blades sheathes in dark leather. Violet's outfit matched her DNA mother's ancestry. A man's kimono, fitted to her slender body with lightweight samurai armor across the same places as Jadens.  
I grumbled as I looked at them. Unwillingly, I moved to my closet and opened the door, sliding the clothes apart. At the back was a silver and black suit. it resembled medieval armor but thanks to Violet, it was nowhere near as heavy. The whole suit was micro chain link and extremely easy to move in. It fit my form better than Id like, but Id never been injured while wearing it.  
As I slipped it in, I felt the cold steel slide over my scales smoothly. It seemed to climb on me, happy I was wearing it after a year of being stuffed in the back of a closet. The metal band that went around my head was there the strengthen my concentration. Thanks to Violet once again for placing the microchip in the front of it.  
As I stood in front of the mirror, I let my manriki slip a bit before making it spin rapidly. The suits highlighted of feminine qualities, which Mistress Lavinia said would make our enemy underestimate us.  
"You look like Catwoman, J." Violet said, looking at her taller sister. That made Jaden laugh, causing hervto strike a rather strange cat pose, resulting in a strange look from Violet and a choking laugh from me. Once we had what we needed, we headed out after Kat.

Kat rushed through the shadows, using her hands and nails to cling to the brick buildings. She didn't want to be seen, especially by her sisters, whom had strangely went to bed as soon as they got home.  
The petite blonde was in another sundress, this one a soft pink with white lace trim and cork wedges. In her bag was a newly woven orange hemp bracelet she'd spent all day making for Mikey. It was her first present to him and she was worried he wouldn't like it. She was also nervous about the decision she'd made earlier. Tonight, she was going to give Mikey a kiss. She wasn't sure how or when but she knew she was going to do it. The thought knotted up her stomach as she sped along.

Somehow, we had gotten to the park before Kat. the small park was surrounded by large, overgrown bushes which made it hard to get into. The three of us took to hiding in the bushes at the north side of the park. Jaden sat to the left of me, hands on her scimitars.  
"If he does anything, I'm going to turn him into turtle soup," she said, warning us ahead of time. Violet rolled her eyes, her contacts gone.  
"Good to know," I replied, my eyes scanning for any sign of the two.  
Michelangelo showed up first, fidgeting with a basket in his hands.  
"D'aw, he's nervous. That's kinda cute," Violet whispered.  
Kat showed up about the time Violet spoke. Her white-gold curls were bundled up in what the Mistress used to call a fairy-knot. You could see the admiration on the young turtle's face as they stood facing each other.

Leo, Donnie and Raph arrived shortly after Mikey and slipped behind the bushes on the south side, silently watching as the girl appeared.  
" She's cute, I have to give that too Mikey," Raph admitted. The boys snickered and waited for a bit. The young lovers stood facing each other in silence for a while before suddenly Kat ran to him. Mikey laughed and opened his arms. As soon as she was within his grip, the girl did something that shocked everyone in the park. She stretched up and planted her lips to the orange-clad ninja.

Jaden shook violently and almost pulled a Kocoum. I yanked her back against me forcibly.  
"She's kissing it!" She hissed, her disgust showing in her eyes.  
"What di you expect? Now shut. Your. Mouth." I growled.

Donnie tensed. Across the park, the bushes moved, the slightest show of skin.  
"Did you see it?" Leo asked.  
"Sure did." Raph growled, quickly making his way to the other side of the park.  
Violet saw them coming before Jaden and I. My head whipped around as I saw the large dark figure rush me. Quickly, I shoved Jaden away from me. She caught her footing just in time to unsheathed her scimitars and bring them up, a loud clang of metal as her swords met that of another. A howl of rage erupted from behind me as Violet took on her opponent. I reached for my manriki, barely dodging the foot that was aimed at my chest. I wrapped the chain around the large, muscled calf as it passed me, tightening it and slinging the man over my head and out into the open park.


	4. Chapter 4

/Correction of a mistake. Hamas is incorrect, I meant to say Kamas'. Please R/R ! Feel free to PM with your opinions./

Donnie had miscalculated.  
When did he /ever/ miscalculate? He was sure he was going to hit the tall, silver figure, but instead it had flung him right out into the middle of the park.  
Kat issued a small screech, throwing knives instantly in her hands as Mikey quickly stepped in front of her to block her from any harm. His face fell in shock as he looked down at the turtle.  
"Donnie?!"  
Donatello didn't have time to answer. The silver figure shot out of the bushes, landing on top of his plastron, pushing the air from his lungs. He saw the chain, lithe and sparkling as it danced in loops around his hands and Bo. Suddenly, his hands were snapped together painfully against his staff by the chain that had looked so harmless before. A manriki chain, and the wielder of it sure knew how to use it.  
He heard the clang of metal and looked over to see Leo, blades locked with that of a dual-weilding scimitar figure that for a moment, he thought was Karai. His brown eyes shot back to his captor. She was female. Nearly as tall as himself with a strong-looking frame. The silver suit she wore molded to her body. Her lower face was covered by a metal mask that came up around her jaw and connected to the metal diadem that went around her head. What caught his attention was the fierce green eyes and the long, wild red locks that curled around her face and shoulders.  
His heart shuddered to a halt within his chest.  
"A..April?"  
The woman looked at him for a moment before answering with a simple "No."  
"M-Mary?! Violet?! Ja-WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?" Kat erupted, moving from behind Mikey. She stormed up to her sisters, grey eyes churning like an oncoming storm.

What could I tell her? That we were worried her turtle boyfriend might have misguided intentions? I flinched, looking at Jaden for support. With an angry grunt, she shoved the other turtle, whom surprised the shit out of us, and ripped off her mask.  
"Don't get an attitude, Princess. We were worried. You didn't even let us know you had a boyfriend!" Jaden huffed, pushing her dark hair from her face. Violet, who had been easily dodging the red turtle stopped to put her ninja fan back and take off her mask as well.  
Kat huffed up her chest, ready to lecture us about how she was an adult and could take care of herself, etc. I stopped her before she could. Reaching up to the side of my face, I pressed a small button that released the lower half of my face mask. I then bent down and untangled the poor mutant from my chain. Well, the big mutant. He was a pretty big dude. but so were the other two...  
The look the one beneath me was giving me made me uncomfortable, like he'd never seen a female human before. I muttered an awkward apology as I stepped over him and up to Kat.  
"Look, Katerina. We were just worried. We care about you. Hell, you're the only perfect person in our family. We didn't want to see you get hurt," I said, smiling down at the blonde before missing her hair, her blue eyes now big and watery like they usually are when she's about to burst with emotion. I prepared myself.  
With a loud sob, she wrapped her thin arms around my waist. So quick to forgive. So quick to trust. She was the most fragile and naïve of us. I patted her back lightly before looking over her at her half-human, half-reptile boyfriend. He was at least a head shorter than me and looked a little nervous.  
"Michelangelo, is it? My name's Mary. It's nice to finally see you in person and not through a monitor screen," I said, trying to make my smile look as harmful as possible as I held out a chain-link-covered hand. I hated myself for it, but I almost flinched as he brought his hand up to clasp mine. If my sister could kiss this guy, I could handle a handshake. The turtle then smiled, a contagious, purely innocent smile, and in it, I saw Kat. The same innocence, the same love for life. I could feel my features soften as I return it.  
"The hell are you staring at? Trying to drill holes in the back of her head?" Came the blunt, annoyed voice of my sibling, causing the happy moment to crash down.

Jaden never particularly liked men. Even if the were mutant. And this was, purple-wearing, stick-toting loser was all but slobbering on himself as he watched her sister. Intially, she'd rolled her eyes but when she turned and saw the blue one looking at her like she was a piece of crap on the sidewalk, she lost what little cool she had. First, she went after the perv going gaga over Mary. After her statement, the redhead turned around, her jaw dropping as it usually did when Jaden spoke. But her anger only boiled higher when the purple-banded turtle turned red and averted his gaze.  
"Oh, now you're gonna act shy?" She said, barking a laugh before turning on the blue one. He'd been strong but that didn't mean she was afraid of him. " And you, looking at me as if /I'm/ the freak?! You-"  
"JADEN! ENOUGH!"

Mary's voice boomed through the park. "What is wrong with you? Can't you be nice for a fucking moment? As for who the "freaks"are, have you forgotten what mars our skin? Hmm?" She fumed, pushing Kat away from her gently. Jaden didn't like this. She didn't like being called out on her deformed skin. She didn't like the way Mary was yelling at her. Biting her tongue, she grumbled out a sorry and went to go stand near the edge of the park, still fuming.

Leonardo was shaking too. But merely because for a panicked moment, he'd thought he was looking at Karai. But this girl in front of him, staring at him with resentment, was nowhere near Karai. He'd been speechless as the woman spoke. And now, as the tallest one turned to him and Donatello to apologize, he held up his hand and offered a smile.  
"You don't have to apologize. We get called freaks a lot more than we'd like," he said, honestly bot bothered by the girls outburst. The redhead smiled then, a rather dazzling one that made her face softer, more feminine. The woman was beautiful for a human. They all were. And they'd called each other sisters even though they were clearly different nationalities. Jaden, the angry one, had a Hispanic look to her. The quiet one with soft brown hair, the one who had immobilized Raph with a pressure point was clearly of Asian descent. Mary and Kat were Caucasian but looked nothing alike. Leo noticed Mary watching him and smiled.  
"We're all half-sisters. Same father, different mothers. Obviously, my name is Mary. That hot-head over there is Jaden. The blonde hugging your brother is Kat and that's Violet," she said. Leo nodded and stepped up then.  
" I'm Leonardo. These are my brothers Raphael and Donatello."

Donatello was floundering. Her facial structure didn't look like April's but she was just as dazzling to him. She was clearly the leader, like Leonardo. He watched as, slowly, the group began to talk to each other. He watched as ever-comfortable Mikey cracked jokes and made the girls laugh. As Leo talked easily with Mary and Violet let Raph go under promise that he wouldn't get violent. The entire time, he stayed back, his chest hurting with every memory that resurfaced. He jumped slightly when he felt cold steel on his elbow. It was Mary.  
"Sorry," she said, laughter in her voice, "I didn't mean to scare you. I wanted to apologize for being so rough with the manriki. I should have known Michelangelo would have brothers."  
"Its fine. nothing I'm not used too," he replied, his warm amber eyes meeting hers. Butterflies erupted in his stomach as she smiled at him again then returned to the group. God, it was like he sas 15 all over again.

/So, glad that's over! Thank you guys for enduring the rocky "first meeting" with me! R/R please!


	5. Chapter 5

/Leo or Donnie? I need your opinions xD/

Mary sat out on her balcony, laptop on her thighs as she typed away at her homework. She had come outside to try to escape the noise inside the loft. Mike, Raph and Kat were playing a video game in the living room, yelling about cheap shots and zombies. Jaden had gone out tonight with Violet to see a new movie which left Leonardo and Donatello in the house, watching the game.

Donatello was actually sitting at the dining room table, a small gadget in front of him that he'd tinker with now and then, his amber eyes shooting to the glass doors of the balcony once in a while. She was sitting out there, typing away as if she was completely alone in the world. Her hair, although red like April's, wound in sporadic curls that were now wrestled into a messy bun where as April had straight hair that fell elegantly. Mary was also taller and more fit. Albeit, she would have been considered "curvy" to humans, but there was no doubt the strength and muscle that lay hidden beneath the all-covering clothes.

She had more of a fire about her than April, something completely uncontrollable and wild. She also didn't like being out of control, he'd noticed. All the girls, even Jaden, looked to her for decisions, a lot like the way the turtles looked to Leonardo.

Don sat there for another moment before taking a deep breath. He began to stand up, ready to make his way out to the balcony to talk to her, to get to know her without the attention of everyone else that was around them, but he froze as he saw Leonardo, his hand pushing the balcony door open quietly as he moved out onto it. Don watched Mary turn her head and look up at her new company, a greeting smile grace her face before turning back to her computer. Don felt his stomach pinch a little before he sat back down, giving them his full attention now, the small gadget forgotten.

Mary was slightly surprised that Leo had decided to come out and keep her company. But then again, he'd been seeking her out often lately, just to chat. And while Mary enjoyed his company, she was starting to wonder what the point of useless chatter was.

The redhead turned back to her computer screen, typing away at her thesis, letting the blue-masked turtle walk over to the railing. He looked out over the city before turning and leaning against it. He studied the girl for a bit, watching her work in the silence, the only sound being the tiny clicking of her keyboard.

After a short time, he cleared his throat. She looked up, green-grey eyes assessing her company.

"I wanted to thank you. I realized that any of us had yet to thank you and your sisters for allowing us to come here along with Mike. The interaction is helping us, I think. The only casual contact with humans we've ever had was with April and Casey and that didn't turn out well for all of us," he said quietly, his blue eyes almost black in the darkness.

Mary tipped her head slightly, a red curl tumbling out from behind her ear and catching in the light breeze. "Why do you point out their "human"?" she asked him, nothing in her voice but curiosity.

"Well, because they're not the same as us. We're...mutated /things/. Freaks, in the majority of society's eyes. You and your sisters are humans where as my brothers and I are...just...mutated creatures," He replied, his brow furrowing slightly at her question.

"You guys are still humans," she started, closing the laptop, "You breath, eat and sleep just like the rest of us. You feel emotions. Anger when your family is hurt, sadness when something you really wanted didn't fall through, happiness when a small dream or goal has come true. You laugh, think, converse and fight like us "humans". So, Leonardo, besides looking physically different, which isn't too big of a deal these days, what is there to consider inhuman?"

He stood there for a long moment of silence, his blue gaze never leaving hers until he finally let his eyes fall to the ground.

"No one has ever really pointed that out before. I mean, I'd thought of it but it's completely different hearing someone who's not your sensei say it. Thank you," he answered, raising his face, a small but sincere smile gracing his mouth.

"You're welcome," she said, giving back her own lopsided grin before opening her computer again and picking up where she'd left off. After a few moments, Leo moved to stand beside where she was seated, squatting down to look at the page she was typing.

"So, what is this anyway?" he asked, his eyes roaming over the page of letters and words. Mary gave a sigh and let her head drop back.

"It's supposed to be my thesis paper. It's going to be worth over 60% of my grade but I'm botching the fuck out of it now," she finally admitted, losing the cool façade as she made a raspberry sound and rubbed her eyes roughly.

Leo frowned and read a bit of it. "What's the topic?"

"Describe with examples the importance of recognizing and responding to concerns about children and young people's development," she slurred out, not even opening her eyes.

Leo nodded and made a grunt of noise to let her know he understood. "Yeah. I'm gonna go get Donnie," he said finally, standing up and making his way back inside.

Donatello saw Leo turning and jerked his eyes back to his invention but not before cramming his knee into the table leg, causing the damn table to scoot across the wood floor with a screech. Panicked, he looked around and his eyes met the green ones of his brother. Raph simply shook his head at the brainy turtle.

Don didn't have time to react though because Leo was at his side.

"Hey Don, are you busy?" he asked more out of politeness then actually wondering if he was busy. The turtle was clearly just sitting there glaring at Raph. And it wasn't like Leonardo couldn't tell that Don had watched him out on the porch.

The lead turtle understood that Mary looked like April in ways but he was worried Don was seeing April instead of Mary. He wanted to see how Don would react around Mary alone, seeing as the purple turtle had been avidly ignoring the woman.

"Well, n-not really, no. Why? What's up, Leo?" he asked, his voice having a rushed tinge to it. Leonardo fought to keep his thoughts hidden. Was he making a mistake? Over the past few weeks, he'd found himself in the red-heads company more and more, not having enough nerves to actually compliment her or anything but instead, he just babbled at her most of the time. Now, he was sending his brother out there, his brother that he ever actually felt any threat from.

Raph liked to put out a lot of steam about him being better than Leo but the only brother he really felt challenged by had always been Donatello. He wasn't sure was he was weary of at that moment except that it was nagging at the back of his mind. Despite his thoughts, he stepped aside and nodded towards the balcony where Mary had turned in her chair and was looking through the glass door at the two.

"Would you be able to help Mary with her thesis? She's having a hard time with it and it's a big chunk of her grade," Leo stated. Don sat there for a moment before simply nodding and standing, a head taller than the blue-clad turtle. He moved his gadget back into a small bag hanging from his belt then made his way towards the door.

Mary watched as Donatello approached her, opening the door and stepping quietly outside. She glimpsed Leo moving to stand behind Raph at the sofa, his toned arms crossed over his chest. She looked up at Don with a smile.

"Hello. You're going to help me with my homework, I presume?" she asked with a laugh, still grinning. This one struck her as cute. He always seemed to be shy and awkward whenever she tried to talk to him. Either that or he would straight up run away from her.

Now, his face had taken on a slight red tint as he pulled over a chair and sat beside her. "I will. I mean, if you want me too? If you don't, that's completely ok, I understand. Am I sitting too close? I'm not pushing your comfort zone or anything?" Don rambled, seeming on the verge of hysterics.

Mary looked at him for a moment before laughing, her whole face lighting up. "You're weird, Donatello. But in a kind of cute way. And no, you not bothering my personal space," she said, moving slightly so he could see the laptop screen.

Donnie gave a nervous laugh before clearing his throat and reading over the title and what she had written so far. After several minutes, he leaned back, his features soured.

"Oh, that's terrible. You'd definitely bomb your grade if you turned that in," he said before his amber eyes went wide at Mary shocked expression and he held his hands out, "wait, no, that's not what I meant! I-I mean, it's well written, you handle your speech skills amazingly! But it just doesn't make sense at all, I mean! I mean it m-makes sense but in a complete way that only Mikey would be able to understand-shit! I'm sorry!" He floundered and only registered that Mary was laughing when her hand and forehead came to rest on his shoulder.

Her laughter was heard inside the house which brought a small smile to Kat's face and a little frown to Leo's.

Donnie had a look of confusion on his face. But when Mary brought her eyes up to look into his, her own green orbs brimming with tears of laughter, he couldn't help but give a goofy, gap-toothed grin in return.

" I think you just called me stupid in, like, four different ways," she choked out as she moved her hand from his shoulder and highlighted the entirety of her work before deleting it completely. She turned to face Don again, the smile still there, her green eyes dancing.

"So you're help me re-write it, right?" She asked and, after a moment of just staring at her, the purple-masked turtle nodded and began explaining what she did wrong and what she should consider.

At the end of the night, the turtles were leaving and while Mike and Kat said their goodbyes, Mary thanked Don once again, causing the turtle to grin even wider.

"Don't be such a stranger," she said to him with a smile before turning and ushering Kat inside, the lights off the loft going off a few minutes later. Mikey sighed beside him as they looked up at the windows.

"I think I'm in love, bro," Michelangelo said dramatically, a hand over his heart as he wandered off to catch up with Raph and Leo. Don stood there a few more minutes, looking up at the place in wonder, her eyes and smile stuck in his mind like a complicated algorithm.

"Yeah, me too..."


End file.
